Shinobu Kocho and the other three quickly understood the situation before them.
The Way of Peace" was definitely established under the Divine Oracle of Lord Xia Wei. The Way of Peace's doctrine and Lord Xia Wei's Divine Will are similar, but their understanding of God's Will is too superficial.
This Archbishop of "The Way of Peace" before them is the 'Archbishop' of the church in this world.
As for why he hasn't received an Archbishop-level Divine Blessing, it's likely due to his dereliction of duty in managing the church and social order.
Thinking of this, Shinobu Kocho slightly furrowed her brows: "An, did you receive a Divine Oracle about our arrival? Or did you receive a Divine Oracle from God?"
Lord An clasped his hands together, his eyes filled with confusion, constantly pondering if anything had happened recently. Finally, he shook his head: "I haven't received any Divine Oracle from God recently. Has something happened?"
Butterfly Kanae also furrowed her brows: "Didn't receive a Divine Oracle? According to God's Will, a church leader of a nation would be bestowed the title of 'Archbishop' or 'Great Priest' and receive the corresponding 'God's Protection'."
"And a regional church leader of a nation would receive the title of 'Bishop', and all clergy under him who follow the doctrine would receive a Divine Blessing and become 'God's Grace'."
"An, as a regional church leader, you should have already received the 'Bishop' title and a Divine Blessing."
Lord An panicked. He didn't know these things. 'Bishop' and 'God's Protection' were terms he heard for the first time, but they couldn't be false. He had personally witnessed the Heavenly Realm Gate, and the Divine Messenger was right before him. How could it be false?
The only possibility, then, was that he might have done something that violated God's Will.
Sima Wei Zhi opened her folding fan to cover her lips, her eyes half-closed as she watched the profusely sweating and flustered Lord An.
"Perhaps he misunderstood God's Will and propagated incorrect values."
"The Way of Peace's doctrine is 'Do more good deeds to achieve happiness and longevity,' correct?"
Lord An was drenched in sweat, his voice trembling slightly: "Yes, yes, please, Divine Messenger, correct my mistaken understanding of the doctrine."
I'm truly damned. I actually spread God's Will incorrectly.
If he hadn't spread it incorrectly, God would surely have paid attention to him long ago and bestowed a 'Divine Blessing' upon him.
The Holy Son looked at the trembling man kneeling with some sympathy.
"Your understanding of God's Will is truly superficial, only scratching the surface, so of course you won't gain God's approval."
"God's Will is [To fight for all that is good]—it is to actively strive for happiness, not to passively change."
"It is precisely because you only understood a superficial part that the church has become this way."
Lord An raised his sleeve to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, silently repeating 'To fight for all that is good' in his heart.
So this is God's Will!
I am truly damned; I actually distorted God's Will like this.
"Thank you, Divine Messenger, for correcting my error!"
"I am truly damned; I almost led the church and the believers to eternal damnation!"
"Great God, I only understood the most superficial part of Your Divine Will! I beg Your forgiveness!"
Lord An continuously prostrated himself towards the Heavenly Realm Gate, his expression full of remorse.
He was truly filled with regret.
No wonder God never gave him a Divine Oracle; it turns out he himself was not living up to expectations.
Buzz~
Suddenly, he felt as if he heard a sound in his ear, and then something appeared within his body, forming a warm current that filled his limbs and bones.
He quickly lowered his head to look at his hands; his body was emitting a white light.
At the same time, a lot of information appeared in his mind.
Among them were the church's 'Divine Order', the use of 'Divine Blessing', praying to the Heavenly Realm for the descent of angels, and so on.
At the same time, a pale golden sword appeared before his eyes.
'Holy Artifact: A reward specifically bestowed by God upon the pioneering heroes who established the church.
In reality, these were the flawed weapons that the blacksmiths were dissatisfied with and piled aside.
But even with flaws, they could grow with the 'Guardian' to Lv.5, though this is completely insufficient for a 'Guardian'.
However, a Guardian's Lv.5 corresponds to a God's Grace's Lv.9, which is enough to accompany the God's Grace until they die of old age.
"An, will surely obey God's will and bring goodness to all benevolent people."
Lord An prostrated himself heavily, his forehead reddened from the impact.
The golden gate slowly disappeared.
Only then did Lord An raise his head, his face full of piety, holding the Holy Artifact bestowed upon him by God with both hands.
This Holy Artifact could increase the power of his 'Divine Blessing' several times over, and could also release 'Holy Light' to heal spiritual wounds.
"Guardian" and "Punishment"
These were the two 'God's Protection' bestowed upon him as a 'Bishop'.
'Guardian' allows him to release a barrier to protect people, and with the Holy Artifact's enhancement, the range of his barrier can reach two hundred meters.
'Punishment' allows him to unleash attacks of five elements: earth, water, fire, wind, and lightning.
Butterfly Kanae spoke gently: "By walking on the right path, God's gaze will come, and He will bestow upon you the Divine Blessing you deserve. Congratulations, Bishop An."
Bishop An quickly bowed in gratitude: "It is all thanks to the Divine Messengers who enlightened me, otherwise I would still be muddled and unaware of my mistakes."
Sima Wei Zhi said with half-closed eyes: "Alright, alright, Bishop An, now we must first purge the parasites within the church."
"The thought of God's church being riddled with holes by parasites makes me utterly uncomfortable."
She herself started as a 'Bishop' back then, but when the church was established, everyone was benevolent, and the entire church atmosphere was very bright.
The thought of these parasites daring to infest the church made her, as God's Guardian, gnash her teeth in anger.
Lord An's expression became slightly solemn, but his heart felt unusually light and peaceful.
Now that he knew God truly existed and was watching over this place, why would he worry about the spies from the imperial capital or the hidden lines of the nobles?
He was not only unafraid but also wanted to demonstrate his abilities to God.
Shinobu Kocho said: "Before that, let me introduce myself."
"My name is Shinobu Kocho, I am God's Guardian, and also His messenger."
"My name is Holy Son, I am also God's Guardian, and also His Saintess."
"Butterfly Kanae, Shinobu Kocho is my younger sister, and I am also God's Guardian."
"Sima Wei Zhi, same as above."
"We have descended upon this world because it has become too corrupt and decadent. God commanded us to cleanse this world of its corruption and decadence."
"At the same time, to let God's order take over this world."
"In other words, to establish a new nation starting from The Way of Peace."
Lord An clasped his hands together and said devoutly: "An will certainly follow the arrangements with all my might."
He was not surprised at all. The millennium empire had already fallen into its decadent late stage; the people were suffering too much, and it was only natural for God to be unable to bear it.
"Please wait a moment, four Divine Messengers. I will solemnly announce it to the believers after I have purged the parasites from the headquarters."
As he said this, his expression turned cold.
Berlick, you blasphemer, and those nobles who blaspheme God, I will personally punish you.